NEW YORK - " With strong backing from the Census Bureau, gay-rights activists are urging maximum participation by their community in the first US census that will tally same-sex couples who say they're married - " even those without a marriage licence. The move has drawn fire from conservatives, who complain that it's another step toward redefining marriage. For the first time, the bureau has deployed a team of professional field workers - "about two-dozen strong - "to reach out to gays and lesbians. On Monday, the bureau unveiled its first public-service videos encouraging gay Americans to mail in their census forms. "What I tell folks in the bureau is that this is a powerful, important part of American society," said Tim Olson, a Census Bureau assistant division chief helping to oversee the campaign. "We have to reach out and engage this part of the population. Anything less than that is a failure," he said. Only the District of Columbia and five states - "Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont and Iowa - "have legalized gay marriages, starting with Massachusetts in 2004. But the Census Bureau says same-sex couples in any state who consider themselves spouses should feel free to check the "husband" or "wife" boxes on the census form, rather than "unmarried partner".
